However, Percy's rise through the Ministry caused a rift between him and his family following the return of Lord Voldemort. His father thought that his promotion to Minister for MagicCornelius Fudge's office was a plot by the Minister to keep tabs on the Weasleys, and through them, Albus Dumbledore. Percy denied this and remained steadfastly loyal to the Ministry's line that Voldemort was not back, estranging himself from his family and furthermore condemning them for their support of and affiliation with Albus Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix. Even though the Ministry did accept that the Dark Lord had indeed returned following the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, Percy's pride stopped him from reconciling with his family. After the fall of the Ministry to the Death Eaters in 1997, Percy was finally made to see sense and was ready to accept that he had been wrong the whole time about the return of Lord Voldemort.

Percy was tipped off by Aberforth Dumbledore about the Battle of Hogwarts in 1998 and finally made up with his family. He survived the battle but was grief-stricken over the death of his brother Fred, whom he was fighting alongside and was determined to avenge. Following the downfall of Voldemort, Percy returned to work for the Ministry as a high-ranking official under the new Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt. He married a woman named Audrey Weasley and had two daughters, Molly and Lucy.

In his new duties as a prefect, Percy was responsible for the new first -year Gryffindors, including bringing them to their dormitories on the first day, and to lead them to safety during Halloween in 1991, following the arrival of a troll in the dungeons. He remained at Hogwarts during the Christmas period in 1991, and sat his O.W.Ls at the end of the year.[3] At some point in his fifth or sixth year, Percy began dating Penelope Clearwater, a Ravenclaw prefect, though he kept it a secret from his family, most likely to prevent his twin brothers Fred and George from mercilessly teasing him (which they did most of the time).[4]

1992

Draco Malfoy: "Whatever, I've noticed him sneaking around a lot lately. And I bet I know what he's up to. He thinks he's going to catch Slytherin's heir single-handed."

— Draco Malfoy expresses his opinion that Percy is looking to catch the Heir of Slytherin.[src]

Percy spent much of the summer of 1992 in his room exchanging letters with Penelope, and his family only saw him at mealtimes. He obtained top grades in his O.W.Ls, but hardly gloated over the fact. The behaviour was noted by his siblings, who found it strange, though they did not know it was due to his new romance with Penelope then.

Back at school, Percy's duties as prefect led him into conflict with his brothers when he caught Ron in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, and Fred and George's loud, sarcastic proclamations over Harry Potter being the Heir of Slytherin. He tried to look out for his sister, Ginny, once forcing her to take Pepperup Potion because she looked ill, and by trying to assuage her fears that Ron's behaviour would get him expelled.

Due to the attacking of students with following the opening of the Chamber of Secrets, Percy, like the other prefects, was required to patrol the castle to maintain order and report anything suspicious. He would also sneak into empty classrooms to be with Penelope, so as to be away from the prying eyes of his siblings, but was caught on one occasion by his youngest sister Ginny. He swore her to secrecy, and in doing so, was inadvertently responsible for the events at the end of that school year, as he prevented Ginny from telling Ron and Harry about her involvement with the Chamber of Secrets, thinking that she was telling them about him and Penelope.

Percy also advised Harry on his choice of subjects for his third year, and later suffered an immense shock when Penelope was petrified by Slytherin's monster. Later, he wrote to his parents to inform them that Ginny had been taken into the Chamber. He was reunited with Penelope after Professor Sprout's Mandrake potion restored those petrified to their normal state, and Ginny, who was saved from Tom Marvolo Riddle and the Chamber of Secrets by Harry. However, his relationship with Penelope was exposed as Ginny finally revealed it to Harry, Ron, and Fred and George on the train ride home.[4].

Working for the Ministry

After leaving school, Percy went to work at the Ministry of Magic, just as he had planned to, and was assigned to the Department of International Magical Cooperation under Bartemius Crouch Sr.. During the summer of 1994, Percy worked diligently under Crouch, a man whom he admired and respected for his strict adherence to rules and his perfectionist attitude towards his work. He was responsible for authoring a report on standardising cauldron thickness, and learned about the plans for the Triwizard Tournament, which he took great delight with in hinting about to his younger siblings. Two weeks before the Quidditch World Cup, Percy passed his Apparition test, and took to Apparating downstairs to breakfast every morning just to prove he could do it.

Along with the rest of his family, he attended the Quidditch World Cup, and was embarrassed when Mr. Crouch addressed him as "Weatherby" in front of his family. When Death Eaters caused panic after the Cup ended, Percy assisted the Ministry alongside with his older brothers and father, and got a bloody nose during the job. In the weeks that followed, Percy had to work doubly hard at the Ministry to cope with the large number of Howlers that crossed his desk from the disgruntled and frightened public.

Prior to the Christmas of 1994, Percy was promoted to Mr. Crouch's personal assistant, and began taking orders from him via Owl post. Crouch was supposedly ill and taking time off to recover, and it was being blamed on the stress caused by the debacle following the Quidditch World Cup . Percy took over some of Crouch's official duties, and attended the Yule Ball at Hogwarts on his behalf. In February, he presided as a judge for the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament, once again filling in for Crouch.

However, the discovery of a confused Crouch in the Forbidden Forest caused a stir in the Ministry. It was believed by some that he may not have been acting under his own accord, and that his instructions may have been written by someone else. Percy was called in for questioning over the affair since he had been, supposedly following Crouch's instructions, and was not allowed to take Crouch's place as judge for the Third Task, with Cornelius Fudge being sent in to fill Crouch's place instead.[6] An inquiry was held, and Percy got into trouble since it was felt that he should have realised that something was amiss with Crouch and informed a superior.[7]

Disowning his family

Fred: "Percy and Dad had a row. I've never seen Dad row with anyone like that. It's normally Mum who shouts..."

Ron: "Percy came home and told us he'd been promoted... He expected Dad to be all impressed, I think."

Fred: "Only Dad wasn’t..."

Ron: "He went completely berserk... He said Dad was an idiot to run around with Dumbledore, that Dumbledore was heading for big trouble and Dad was going to go down with him, and that he - Percy - knew where his loyalty lay and it was with the Ministry. And if Mum and Dad were going to become traitors to the Ministry he was going to make sure everyone knew he didn’t belong to our family any more. And he packed his bags the same night and left. He's living here in London now."

When Cornelius Fudge did not believe Harry Potter's claim that Lord Voldemort was back, he thought that Dumbledore was using the threat of his return as a springboard, spreading rumours so as to destabilise his administration. Surprisingly, despite the trouble he was previously in, Percy was offered the position of Junior Assistant to Fudge himself. He expected his family to be pleased with him, but his father, who supported Harry and Dumbledore, made it clear that he thought that Percy had been offered the post so that Fudge could keep track of the family, and Dumbledore. Following this, Percy and his father had a huge row, with Percy telling his father that he had to struggle against his lousy reputation since he had started at the Ministry, that he had no ambition, and that was the reason the family was so poor. He also told his father that he was an idiot for believing Dumbledore, and his loyalty remained with the Ministry. He also rubbished Harry's claim that Lord Voldemort had returned, saying it was not good enough.

Percy severed all ties with his family, wanting everyone to know that he had nothing to do with them. He packed his bags the same night and left. He moved to London where he was able to get himself a flat, and continued with the position in Fudge's office. His mother went to London to try to talk with him, but Percy slammed the door in her face. As such, Percy is the only of-age member of the Weasley family who did not join the revived Order of the Phoenix.

Junior Assistant

Fred: "Mum’s crying again. Percy sent back his Christmas jumper."

George: "Without a note. Hasn’t asked how Dad is or visited him or anything."

— Fred and George talking about Percy’s grudge against his family.

Percy, while working as a scribe for the Ministry

In the summer of 1995, Percy acted as Court Scribe during Harry Potter's hearing before the Wizengamot for using magic in front of a Muggle. Harry fully expected Percy to give some recognition, but much to Harry's frustration, Percy refused to look at him, and even agreed with one of Fudge's biased comments against Harry. Following the hearing, despite Harry being cleared of all charges, Percy believed that Harry only got off due to a technicality, and he also ignored his father, who was waiting outside for Harry. His estrangement from his family continued, although he did write to Ron, congratulating him on becoming a prefect and urging him to stop associating with Harry, whom he felt was a bad influence, as well as believing that his family would one day realise their mistake for believing Dumbledore and apologise to him. Ron found the letter extremely offensive. He tore it up and threw it into the fire. This letter also greatly hurt Harry's feelings. On the same day, Percy gave an interview to the Daily Prophet concerning Dolores Umbridge's appointment as Hogwarts High Inquisitor.

In early 1996, Percy was one of the Ministry officials who was summoned to Hogwarts following Professor Umbridge's discovery of the secret group, Dumbledore's Army. Percy once again acted as a Scribe, and was excited to hear Dumbledore confess to Fudge's accusations that he was building an army to challenge the Minister. Percy was ordered to take a copy of his notes and send them to the Daily Prophet, and he left Dumbledore's office before the Headmaster made his escape.[7]

Percy with Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge and Auror John Dawlish when they saw Voldemort inside the Ministry of Magic.

Following the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, Percy now knew the truth about Lord Voldemort's return, but continued to side with the Ministry because he couldn't bring himself to face his family. When Fudge was succeeded by Rufus Scrimgeour as Minister, Percy continued in his role as Junior Assistant. His mother masked this defection by claiming that Percy is too busy in the Ministry to return for the holidays.

During Christmas in 1996, Percy was pressured by Rufus Scrimgeour to go to the Burrow with him. Scrimgeour was using the visit as a pretence to have a talk with Harry, who was spending Christmas there. Scrimgeour exploited Percy's family connections to get close to Harry, and Percy was very uncomfortable with seeing his family again, as he had not planned to see them for the holidays. His mother was overjoyed to see him and immediately ran to hug him, while his father and siblings simply stared at him. Percy only spoke to his mother (and rather briefly and reluctantly, at that), and the visit ended badly with Percy storming out after Ginny, Fred and George flung mashed parsnips at him. In June 1997, he attended the funeral of Albus Dumbledore with Ministry officials, including Dolores Umbridge. [8]

Atonement and reunion

Percy: "I was a fool! I was an idiot, I was a pompous prat, I was a - a-"

On 1 May, 1998, Aberforth tipped Percy off to the fact that Hogwarts was taking a stand against Voldemort. Percy Apparated to the Hog's Head, and travelled down the secret tunnel to the Room of Requirement, hoping he hadn't missed the battle. In the room, he found the majority of his family trying to restrain Ginny from joining the battle. In a tense moment, Percy apologised profusely to his family, and his brother Fred, who along with George were the most vocal in their anger towards Percy, was the first to forgive him. Reunited with his family, he stood alongside with the defenders of Hogwarts against the Death Eaters.

Battle of Hogwarts

Percy: "Hello, Minister! Did I mention I’m resigning?"

Fred: "You’re joking, Perce! You actually are joking, Percy… I don’t think I’ve heard you joke since you were-"

During the Battle of Hogwarts, Percy and Fred fought alongside with each other. Percy was duellingPius Thicknesse, and in the middle of the battle, he jokingly told the Minister he was resigning. Fred was surprised with his brother for making a joke after so long - but the joyous mood was shattered when an explosion destroyed part of the corridor they were in and killed Fred. Percy, grief-stricken, refused to leave his brother's body until Harry and Ron helped him store it safely in a wall niche. Full of anger and sorrow, Percy stormed back into battle, charging after Death Eater Augustus Rookwood, who was attacking a group of students further down the corridor. Prior to the final duel between Harry and Lord Voldemort, Percy joined forces with his father to floor Thicknesse.[9]

After the war

Percy with his family after the Battle

Following the end of the Second Wizarding War, Percy returned to the now-reformed Ministry of Magic, and became a high-ranking official under new Minister for MagicKingsley Shacklebolt.[10] Percy eventually married a woman named Audrey, and the couple had two daughters, Molly and Lucy.[11] On September 1st, 2017, he was present on Platform 9¾, discussing broom regulations, presumably seeing off one or both of his daughters to school. As he is seen talking about broom regulations it is very likely that he was working for the Department of Magical Transportation in the Ministry. [9]

Physical description

Percy was tall and thin, like his father and brothers Bill and Ron, and with the vivid red hair and freckles characteristic of the Weasley family. He wore horn-rimmed glasses, and also tried to carry himself in a dignified manner, although he usually came off looking pretentious and silly.

Personality and traits

"Percy wouldn't recognise a joke if it danced naked in front of him wearing Dobby's tea-cosy."

Percy was extremely ambitious and dedicated to his goals, which was apparently to become Minister for Magic.[4] A stickler for rules and regulations, he respected authority, and when he attained it himself, expected respect in return. However, Percy usually came off as seeming arrogant or pompous since he constantly tried to look and sound dignified, including calling his parents "Mother" and "Father" rather than "Mum" and "Dad" like the rest of his siblings.[5]

Percy was also highly opinionated, and made loud comments regarding the Sirius Black situation and the measures he would suggest when he made it into the Ministry of Magic.[5] He was also very dismissive of Ludo Bagman's skills in running the Department of Magical Games and Sports when compared to Mr. Crouch, but that didn't stop him attempting to make a good impression in front of him when he met him at the Quidditch World Cup.[6]

Percy was extremely pompous, stiff-necked and always very serious; he took himself very seriously and was often the butt of pranks and jokes played on him by his fun-loving siblings. However, he showed rare flashes of a sense of humour when joking with Penelope Clearwater over sabotaging Harry's Firebolt,[6] and when duelling Pius Thicknesse during the Battle of Hogwarts.[9]

Percy could be snobby and bossy at times as Fred and George have said, but he also cares about his family at the end, although sometimes when it's too late. He is also very pompous and when he wants to get something he sometimes only cares about himself rather than his family.

Percy proved himself to be very much of a social climber. He wanted to achieve prominence at the Ministry, choosing to dedicate himself to the institution and abandoning his family when they chose to rebel against the Ministry. His love of order and rules and obedience to authorities blinded him to the truth about Lord Voldemort's return. It even made him miss out three important events of his family: the joining of the Order of the Phoenix, a visit to his injuredfather,[7] and his eldest brother's wedding. It was only when the Ministry fell and was taken over by the Death Eaters that Percy reconciled with his family.[9]

Despite his normal determination to maintain proper behaviour, Percy was an avid fan of Quidditch and could sometimes forget decorum in demonstrating his enthusiasm for it. In the 1993-1994 school year, he made 10 Galleon bet with Penelope Clearwater that Gryffindor would win the Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw Quidditch match, despite the fact that he didn't have ten Galleons at the time.[12] Later that year, when Gryffindor won the final match of the season, vs. Slytherin, Percy jumped "up and down like a maniac, all dignity forgotten."[13]

Magical abilities and skills

Percy was a skilled wizard. He earned an O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. in every exam he took.

Relationships

Family

Percy was quite different in temperament from his family members, which impacted this relationships with them. His academic studies and responsible nature earned him praise and adoration in the eyes of his mother and father, although even Mr. Weasley was not above having a small laugh at the expense of his son's stuffiness.[5] However, his behaviour alienated him from his younger siblings, especially Fred and George, who were the exact opposite of him. Because of this, Percy was a constant butt of their jokes and pranks, including bewitching his prefect and Head Boy badges to read Pinhead[4] and Bighead Boy[5] respectively, and sending dragon dung to his office at the Ministry.[6] However, the twins' pranks were generally good-natured ribbing at his expense - during Christmas in 1991, the twins forbade him from sitting with the other prefects, noting that Christmas was a time for family.[3] He tried to be a role-model for Ron and Ginny, but they took after the fun-loving twins.

In 1995, he broke off all ties with his family following an argument with his father over his promotion to Junior Assistant to Fudge. Proud and ambitious, he could not conceive that Fudge would be using him to spy on Dumbledore. He could also not see that both the Ministry and the Daily Prophet were not telling the public the truth over the return of Lord Voldemort. When the truth was revealed, he felt shamed about his actions and guiltily shunned his family until the moment that he might have lost them during the Battle of Hogwarts, even though he had been wanting to apologise to them for some time.

Curiously enough, while it was the twins who led the anti-Percy movement within the family, constantly telling the others that he was no good and to forget about him, it was also Fred and George who were the first to forgive him and welcome him back to the family. Fred was the first to forgive him, while George seemed to carry on as if the split had never occurred, and made a small joke about Percy having been a prefect.[9]

The Weasley family gathered round Fred's dead body.

Over the years, Percy was particularly proud and protective of his youngest brother, Ron. During Ron's first year, Percy was extremely proud that he had beaten Professor McGonagall's enchanted chess set that guarded the Philosopher's Stone.[3] During the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament, he rushed to help him from the lake after he had been rescued by Harry Potter.[6] After severing ties with his family, Ron was the only one he contacted, congratulating him on becoming a prefect, and urging him to cut his ties with Harry Potter so that he would not be dragged down with him.[7] Finally, in the brief ceasefire allowed to them by Lord Voldemort during the Battle of Hogwarts, Percy comforted Ron following Fred's death. Through the marriage of his brother Bill Weasley, Percy became brother-in-law to Fleur Delacour.[9]

Penelope Clearwater

Penelope Clearwater, his Hogwarts girlfriend

"He's been meeting her all over the school in secret. I walked in on them kissing in an empty classroom one day. He was so upset when she was - you know - attacked. You won't tease him, will you?"

Percy began dating Penelope Clearwater, a fellow prefect, sometime during his fifth year. She boosted his morale by a ton, and he flaunted himself even more, though he kept his relationship secret from his family, not wanted to be laughed at by anyone else. They would meet in deserted classrooms to kiss, but were caught once by Percy's sister, Ginny. Percy was distraught when Penelope was petrified in 1993, and immensely relieved when she was cured by Professor Sprout's Mandrake potion. The secrecy was broken when Ginny revealed the truth to her brothers, asking them not to tease Percy over the fact, which they did anyway.[4]

With the secret out, Percy and Penelope appeared in public together, and he kept a photo of her. During his stay at the Leaky Cauldron before the start of his seventh year, he accused Ron of dripping tea on it.[5] He met her on Platform 9¾, showing off his Head Boy badge, and, later in the year, wagered ten Galleons on the outcome of the Gryffindor - Ravenclaw match, despite not actually having ten galleons. He playfully remarked to her about sabotaging Harry's Firebolt when she asked if she could touch it.[5]

Harry Potter

—Percy Weasley talking about Harry's performance in a Quidditch match.[src]

Harry Potter first met Percy Weasley at King's Cross Station when he saw him go through the barrier to Platform 9¾.[3] In Harry's second year, Percy offered Harry some advice regarding his choice of subjects that he would take in the third year.[5] For the most part, Percy liked Harry, and awarded him full marks during the Triwizard Tournament when he stood in for Bartemius Crouch Sr. during the Second Task.[6] While Harry was also generally friendly towards Percy — although he frequently laughed at Fred and George's pranks — he also felt that he had always liked Percy the least of all the Weasleys after he abandoned his family, possibly due to his somewhat pompous nature.[7]

However, in Harry's fifth year, when the Ministry began publishing articles about Harry being "a liar and very violent", Percy bought into it, wanting to be obedient to Cornelius Fudge. He considered Harry a bad influence for Ron and sent him a letter encouraging him to sever ties with Harry and to stay on Umbridge's good side so that he could become eligible for Head Boyship in a few years. Although Harry attempted to make light of the letter's content, Ron promptly tore it to pieces and threw it in the fire, calling Percy "the world's biggest git". At that point, Harry hated Percy for not believing in him, for not giving him recognition in the disciplinary hearing, and for accepting Fudge's mockeries.[7] Percy finally came to his senses when the Ministry fell to Voldemort, and he fought alongside Harry in the Battle of Hogwarts.

They later became brothers-in-law through Harry's marriage to Ginny, although their relationship apparently remained relatively distant. After the war, while seeing both of his sons go to Hogwarts, Harry thought he overheard Percy talking loudly about broomstick regulations, and was glad to have the excuse not to stop and say hello, though not out of spite.

Hermione Granger

Hermione Granger

From 1991-1994, Percy was on very good terms with Hermione Granger, due to their academic brilliance and strong work ethic. Just after her Sorting, Hermione talked to Percy about her enthusiasm about learning magic, particularly Transfiguration, and it is likely that she admired him for being a Prefect, and being as academically brilliant as her. It is mentioned that Hermione got on with Percy better than the rest of the Weasleys. Their bond was broken after the 1994 Quidditch World Cup, when Percy condemned his boss's house-elf Winky, and Hermione was angry at his unfairness, having recently realised how badly house-elves were treated. They were never again as close, and when Percy broke ties with his family, this generally included Hermione as she was closely associated with the Weasleys and Harry. Hermione eventually became Percy's sister-in-law, and the relationship between them is unknown.

Cornelius Fudge

Cornelius Fudge

Cornelius Fudge originally looked down on Percy and his family, due to their lack of wealth and having more affiliation with Muggles.

However, in 1995, Fudge promoted Percy to become his Junior Minister. This was an attempt to spy on the Weasley family and through them, Albus Dumbledore, but Percy's defection from his family made it pointless. However, Percy commented in his letter to his younger brother Ron that the Minister would not be more gracious to him for this defection, and he agreed with Fudge on that Harry was violent and disturbed and Dumbledore is plotting to overthrow Fudge when the Ministry began publishing articles, leading to a quarrel with his family (even his father). Over the final year of Fudge's term as Minister, he kept using Percy as the court scribe for both Harry's disciplinary hearing and the discovery of Dumbledore's Army. Percy, during both moments, heartily agreed with Fudge's decisions, and laughed when Fudge made insulting mockeries at Harry and Dumbledore. When Fudge's folly had been exposed and he was forced to resign as Minister in disgrace, Percy remained loyal to the Ministry, but did not show any sympathy for or against Fudge's dismissal.

Audrey Weasley

In later life, Percy married a woman named Audrey, and the couple had two children, Molly and Lucy.[11]

Etymology

Percy is a short form of the name Percival, which is derived from Old French, meaning "pierce the veil". It was the name of one of the Knights of the Round Table in Arthurian legend. This may be a pattern in names in the Weasley family, as Percy's father is named Arthur and his sister is named Ginevra, a version of Guinevere. Percival is also one of Albus Dumbledore's middle names, and Albus formerly had reddish (auburn) hair, suggesting a possible link between the two families. It can also be short for Perseus, which is derived from Ancient Greek, meaning "destroyer." It could possibly be clues for him destroying his relationship with his family.

The namesake for Percy's middle name, Ignatius, was likely his mother's uncle Ignatius Prewett[14]. Ignatius is a Roman name altered from its original Etruscan to resemble the Latin ignis, meaning "fire". It was the name of several saints, including the founder of the Jesuits.[15]

One trait that Percy had in common with his first two bosses Bartemius Crouch Sr. and Cornelius Fudge was that he was willing to put his career ambitions over anything else, including the relationships with his family and friends. However, unlike Fudge and Crouch Sr., Percy was able to break out of this mould after seeing the error of his ways. Additionally Percy never had to go through an incident that would have destroyed his reputation at the Ministry.

While the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix did show Percy as one of Fudge's supporters, it omitted the details of Percy becoming Fudge's Junior Assistant or any mention of him defecting from his family, when he decided to remain obedient to the Ministry and accept their story that Voldemort had not returned.

↑Sirius Black stated in Ch. 6 of Order of the Phoenix that Molly Weasley was his "cousin by marriage". This means that Ignatius could not have been Molly, Fabian, and Gideon's father, as this would have made them first cousins by blood of Sirius. Ignatius was Sirius's uncle by marriage, and if Molly was his niece, this could explain Sirius's comment. See this talk page for more information.